Walmart is preparing to open a Supply Chain Academy for its warehouse workers. The Academy would provide Walmart’s warehouse workers with a variety of knowledge, skill, and abilities. In addition to business acumen, and knowledge to be a good operator in the warehouse, they will study STEM topics (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).

The hope is that Walmart Associates will grow with the evolution of the warehouse. Today, most warehouse job are physically demanding. However, as new technologies are added to the warehouse, the jobs will change and utilize more STEM knowledge.

On October 19, 2018, UPS held job fairs at over 170 locations to attract seasonal hires. In anticipation of the holiday buying season, UPS plans to hire 100,000 seasonal workers. In what UPS is calling “Brown Friday,” they hope to hire 40,000 seasonal workers in one day.

1. What is the best way for UPS to manage the national hiring day event?

Guidance: Project management would be the best approach to handle this event. It is complicated by having over 170 locations. It’s a good opportunity to discuss how to plan such an event using project management techniques.

The start-up company, Iron Ox, is working to deliver robotically grown vegetables. They have planted their first robot farm about 25 miles south of San Francisco in a warehouse. They intend to sell their vegetables to local restaurants later this year, and to supermarkets early next year.

Their first farm is in a warehouse forcing them to use artificial lights, and thus substantial energy. But future robot farms will be in greenhouses to reduce energy costs. Their plan is to locate these robot farms close to metropolitan areas.

Guidance: The biggest advantage is the reduction in labor. The cost of farm labor is rising, and finding workers is getting more difficult. Until recently, many of the workers on U.S. farms were not in the U.S. legally. Continue reading →